Lingxian Sect is not an ancient sect with many rules.
This sect is quite young.
As such, the procedures for ceremonies like the master-apprentice ritual are not complex.
A few simple rituals were slightly adjusted based on the suggestions of Sun Yigao, a serious scholar.
Rituals exist to ensure order and structure within a group environment.
Therefore, rituals can be appropriately adjusted based on time and place, but they cannot be discarded.
The master-apprentice rituals passed down through generations in the mortal realm are not simple. However, after Lin Xiao and the others trimmed down the ceremony, only a few necessary parts remained.
Thus, the entire master-apprentice ceremony was completed quickly.
After a brief master-apprentice ceremony, Jiang Youfu, Sun Yigao, Liao Pantou, Liu Chun, Mo Yuanjiao, and Hu Liang each acquired their own disciples.
Among them, Jiang Youfu, Sun Yigao, and Liu Chun had the most disciples.
Jiang Youfu's skills had already become legendary within Puxi Country over the past three years.
Even those unfamiliar with Lingxian Sect knew there was a celestial being in Hufang Province whose dishes could cure various ailments that human efforts could not.
And each dish was incredibly delicious.
Although most people did not know that such culinary skills came from Jiang Youfu, a sixteen-year-old youth, the new disciples of Qingyun Peak who joined Lingxian Sect a month ago were an exception.
Therefore, today, Jiang Youfu had the largest number of disciples, totaling twenty-three!
Following closely was Sun Yigao.
He had frequently gone down the mountain to teach, so many who had visited Xiushui Village had seen him in person. Thus, he was the most well-known celestial being from Lingxian Sect outside.
However, as a teacher, his impact was somewhat less compared to Jiang Youfu's disease-curing spiritual food. Therefore, in terms of fame, he was still far behind Jiang Youfu.
But with his refined and handsome appearance, and a demeanor as gentle as jade, he gave off an impression of being both capable and reliable.
As a result, twenty disciples chose him as their master to learn alchemy.
Next was Liu Chun.
Liu Chun had specifically returned for this master-apprentice ceremony.
Until now, except for a few who had started cultivation before joining, almost all the new disciples had only a superficial understanding of these cultivation techniques from the previous sect tour. It was just a show for them; they had no concrete concept of these techniques.
Thus, aside from choosing masters known for their fame, like Jiang Youfu and Sun Yigao, the reasons for choosing other masters were first based on interest in a particular technique observed during the sect tour.
The second reason was simply a matter of personal preference.
To put it bluntly, it was based on appearance.
The elder with a half-black, half-white face and a black peach blossom pendant on his forehead, although he looked impressive, also seemed somewhat intimidating, so he was avoided.
As for the other two young men.
One was a young lad who, though handsome with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, gave off a feeling of being unreliable and immature.
The other was the robust and simple-looking Elder Hu, who had led the group in building houses for twenty days.
Most of the Qingyun Peak disciples, seeing Elder Hu, thought that he was familiar and likely had many followers. They figured that since they were not particularly interested in crafting, they would not squeeze into the competition for Elder Hu and would rather choose a master or technique they preferred.
Therefore, many focused on Liu Chun, who seemed the most suitable as a master. Elder Liu looked very much like a proper elder!
Thus, Liu Chun became the third elder with the most disciples.
He had eighteen disciples.
The remaining three masters were Hu Liang with fifteen disciples, Mo Yuanjiao with eleven disciples, and Liao Pantou with six disciples.
Initially, when Liao Pantou saw only six people choosing him as their master, he was quite displeased!
What was wrong with these Qingyun Peak disciples? They lacked vision! He was a high-quality master with over five hundred years of accumulated experience! Yet, only six disciples chose him!
However, when he carefully examined his six disciples, he felt somewhat pleased.
Out of the six disciples, five were not new to cultivating but already had some level of cultivation, one even being at the Golden Core stage!
Liao Pantou happily stroked his long beard.
What does this mean?
It means that those who understood cultivation knew he was the most formidable one!
...
Thus, a total of 118 Qingyun Peak disciples participated in the master-apprentice ceremony, with fourteen remaining unchosen.
For the fourteen disciples who did not choose a master, Liu Yunan, who was in charge of Qingyun Peak disciples, also looked into their situation after the ceremony.
Among them, ten felt that their cultivation learning was already challenging. Rather than dispersing their focus to learn a technique prematurely, they preferred to first solidify their cultivation and then consider techniques later.
Liu Yunan had previously told them that choosing a master was not a one-time opportunity; there would be chances to learn techniques in the future.
So, these ten were not in a hurry.
As for the other four.
When Liu Yunan asked the disciple named He Rui, she inquired:
"Elder Liu, does the Sect Master take apprentices?"
Liu Yunan was surprised. Did this disciple want to be Master Xiao's apprentice?
"I'm not sure. The Sect Master has been very busy lately," he answered.
After all, Master Xiao had only mentioned being busy recently, but did not explicitly say he would not take disciples in the future, so he did not fully disclose the situation.
He thought the disciple would be disappointed, but instead, she appeared spirited and determined:
"So there is still a possibility of him accepting disciples in the future! Thank you for the information, Elder Liu! I will go cultivate now! Goodbye, Elder Liu!" She was eager to cultivate, hoping to be chosen by the Sect Master if he accepted apprentices in the future!
Aside from He Rui, the other three disciples also had similar reasons for not choosing a master—they wanted to focus on cultivation before seeking a master.
After the master-apprentice ceremony, each master took their disciples to different locations to explain their teaching rules.
After all, they were usually quite busy.
For someone like Liu Chun, who was often away from the sect, all the teaching had to be compressed into the few days he returned each month.
However, Liu Chun had discussed a plan with Lin Xiao.
Besides the days he returned to the sect each month for teaching, he would also take one disciple each month to Yuanling City, keeping that disciple with him for teaching and rotating them every month.